Should Your Restaurant Rely on Third-Party Delivery Apps in 2025? A Complete Breakdown

The Truth About Third-Party Delivery Apps: Are They Helping or Hurting Your Restaurant?

In 2025, off-premise dining is no longer a trend—it’s the norm. Platforms like DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, and Postmates dominate the food delivery space, each promising restaurants increased reach and more revenue. But behind the glossy app interfaces lies a business model that often favors the delivery platform more than the restaurant.

After analyzing weeks of user feedback, restaurant case studies, and industry research, we've compiled the ultimate guide to help restaurant operators evaluate whether third-party delivery is worth it—and how to avoid its biggest pitfalls.

Pros of Third-Party Delivery Platforms

1. Built-In Marketing Reach

DoorDash and Grubhub each had 30M+ active users by 2023. That’s more exposure than most local restaurants could dream of achieving with paid ads alone. Tourists, new residents, and even locals often browse these platforms to discover new dining options.

2. Revenue Boosts Without Extra Real Estate

According to NPD Group and case studies like McDonald’s, delivery can increase restaurant revenue by 20–30%. Because delivery orders don’t require extra seats or floor space, it's a way to scale sales without physical expansion.

3. No In-House Logistics Required

Partnering with third-party apps spares you the burden of hiring and managing your own drivers, buying company cars, or maintaining an in-house online ordering system. During events like COVID-19 lockdowns or extreme weather, delivery helped many restaurants stay alive.

Cons of Third-Party Delivery Platforms

1. High Commission Fees

Most platforms charge 15–30% commission per order—on an industry average profit margin of just 5%. It’s easy to see how you can sell more but earn less.

2. Poor POS Integration

Each delivery app requires its own tablet, with manual order entry into your POS. This creates chaos during rush hours and invites human error. Some POS systems offer limited integrations, but full automation is rare.

Maple integrates directly with your POS and KDS, automating voice and delivery ordering to eliminate this issue.

3. Food Quality and Brand Damage

When food arrives cold, late, or tampered with, 82% of customers blame the restaurant—not the delivery service. That’s a hit to your brand and your reviews.

4. No Upsells, No Tips

Customers rarely order drinks, sides, or desserts on apps—hurting your margins. On top of that, tips go to drivers, not staff. Over time, this leads to lower morale and increased turnover.

5. Cannibalization of Dine-In Sales

A Morgan Stanley study revealed that 50% of delivery orders directly replace in-person visits. And since dine-in usually has better margins, your most profitable channel shrinks.

6. Operational Bottlenecks

Delivery orders can overwhelm your kitchen during peak hours. In-house diners end up waiting longer, and staff are forced to juggle dine-in service with packaging and handoffs to couriers.

7. Loyalty to Discounts, Not Your Brand

Customers aren’t loyal to your brand—they’re loyal to whichever app has the best promo. Free delivery, coupons, and discounts drive their behavior—not your food quality or service.

A Smarter Alternative: How Maple Helps Restaurants Win Without Delivery Apps

So what can you do if you want to grow off-premise revenue without shrinking profits?

Enter Voice AI

Maple is a voice AI assistant that answers your restaurant’s phone 24/7, takes orders with 98% accuracy, and pushes them straight into your POS and KDS. No middlemen. No commission fees.

Why Restaurants Choose Maple Over Delivery Apps:

• Keep 100% of your profits – No platform fees or commissions

• Control the customer experience – No cold food or missing items

• Increase average order value – Maple upsells like a real staff member

• Protect your brand – No bad reviews from late drivers or stolen fries

Final Thoughts: Should You Use Delivery Apps?

Third-party apps can be useful—especially for new restaurants or those in tourist-heavy areas. But they come with real trade-offs that can hurt your bottom line over time.

If you do use them:

• Limit usage to off-peak hours

• Monitor your margins closely

• Use tools like Maple to take control of phone orders and reduce reliance

Ready to See Voice AI in Action?

Maple handles 100% of your restaurant’s phone orders — accurately, instantly, and with personality.

Book a free demo today and see how much time and revenue you can save.

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